toefl essay questions pdf

TOEFL Prep Online Guides and Tips

The best toefl writing practice: 300+ topics to study with.

toefl essay questions pdf

Writing is the last section you’ll complete on the TOEFL. You’re so close to finishing, yet you still have two essays to write before you can celebrate completing the exam. In order to finish the test on a high note, you’ll need to be prepared for this section.

In this guide, we explain the ins and outs of the Writing section and the materials you need to do well. We then go over all the best TOEFL Writing practice resources available , including free and official practice Writing topics. We’ll end with final tips to keep in mind in order to ace the TOEFL Writing section.

Overview of TOEFL Writing

The TOEFL Writing section is 50 minutes long (broken into two parts) and contains two tasks: Integrated Writing and Independent Writing. You’ll type both essays on the computer.

The Integrated Writing task requires you to use listening, reading, and writing skills. For this task, you will have three minutes to read a short passage, then you will listen to a short (approximately two-minute long) audio clip of a speaker discussing the same topic the written passage covers. You will have 20 minutes to plan and write a response that references both of these sources. You won’t discuss your own opinion.

For the Independent Writing task, you’ll receive a question on a particular topic or issue. You’ll have 30 minutes to plan and write a response to that topic that explains your opinion on it. You’ll need to give reasons that support your decision.

Each essay will receive a score from 0-5. The sum will then be scaled to a score from 0-30, which is your official Writing score. The Writing section makes up 25% of your total TOEFL score (from 0-120).

By the way: we have built the world's best online TOEFL course . Get online practice (TPO-sytle!) and individual grading and feedback on Speaking and Writing.

Learn how you can improve your TOEFL score by 15 points today .

What You’ll Need to Be Prepared for the TOEFL Writing Section

As you likely expect, you’ll spend most of your time on the TOEFL Writing section, well, writing. However, you’ll also need to have solid reading and listening skills for the Integrated task. Since the Writing section requires multiple skills, you’ll need multiple study tools in order to be completely prepared. Some of the most important things you’ll need to prepare for TOEFL Writing include:

  • Complete practice Writing sections
  • Individual practice questions or TOEFL Writing topics
  • Opportunities to practice your writing skills
  • Opportunities to practice your listening skills

In the next section, we’ll go over the best TOEFL Writing practice tests and questions.

The Best TOEFL Writing Practice Materials

This section contains links to the top practice materials to use while preparing for TOEFL Writing. What makes a practice material the best?

  • First, the practice questions must be similar in content and format to the real TOEFL Writing section to give you the best preparation for the real exam.
  • Second, it’s a major plus if the practice questions come with answer explanations that help you understand how to answer an essay prompt well.
  • Finally, prep materials that include useful tips and strategies for answering Writing questions are useful because they give you advice on how to raise your score on this section.

Official Prep Materials

Official resources are the best to use since you can be confident they’ll be very similar to the real TOEFL Writing section. The topics will be much more realistic in format and content.

Below are all the official TOEFL Writing practice materials available, both free and paid resources. ETS doesn’t provide just Writing questions, so each of these resources also have practice resources for the other sections of the TOEFL. Be sure to include at least some of these materials in your studying. The next section has more tips on how to make the most of official practice resources.

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TOEFL iBT Sampler

The TOEFL iBT Sampler is a program you can download with official practice questions, and it’s a great free and official resource to use. In addition to other TOEFL sections, it includes a complete TOEFL iBT Writing practice section (two tasks). Sample answers for both tasks are included so you can get an idea of what a good essay looks like. Unfortunately, the Sampler only works with Windows; you can’t download it with a Mac.

TOEFL iBT Sample Questions

This PDF is another free and official resource. In addition to other question types, it includes two Writing tasks: one TOEFL Integrated Writing practice question and one Independent Writing practice question. Each sample TOEFL Writing topic is followed by a sample essay as well as an in-depth score explanation, which is a great tool for studiers.

TOEFL iBT Quick Prep

The Quick Prep contains four different volumes, each of which contains one or two Writing prompts. The first volume is the best for TOEFL iBT Writing practice, since it contains two tasks (the others each only contain one) and also has an in-depth explanation of what your essays should include. The other three volumes only contain the essay rubrics without any advice on how to answer the specific essay prompt given.

TOEFL Practice Online (TPO) Tests

TPO tests are retired TOEFL exams now offered for test prep. They give the closest experience to the real TOEFL, and, because of that, they aren’t cheap. You’ll have to pay $45 for each complete TOEFL you buy (you can’t just buy individual TOEFL iBT Writing practice sections).

Your exam will be automatically graded after you finish it, although I was not particularly impressed with how the Writing section was graded when I took it. For the actual TOEFL, two human graders and a computer program review your essays and assign grades to each one. For this exam, a computer grades your Writing section within less than a minute of you completing the exam, and there is no explanation of how that grade was determined.

This is a useful resource, but if you don’t want to spend that much money on a practice test, it’s completely possible to do well just using the above practice resources.

Official TOEFL Prep Books

There are several official TOEFL prep books for sale by ETS. The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test , in addition to explaining the types of questions on the test, contains numerous practice questions and three full-length exams.  This is also the only official prep book that includes sample essays of varying scores along with scoring explanations, which can be a big help if you’re trying to guess what score your essays would get.

There’s also the Official TOEFL iBT Tests Volumes 1 and 2. Each of these books contains five unique practice tests, available on paper and the computer. However, no sample responses are given for Writing questions, which make them a less useful resource compared to The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test.

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Unofficial Prep Materials

You have to be more careful when using unofficial prep resources since not all of them are reliable. Some are high-quality and very similar to the TOEFL, others are not. For the Writing section in particular, because it’s so easy to make up essay prompts, there are many sites that claim to offer TOEFL Writing practice when their practice questions are actually low-quality. Below are some of the top unofficial prep resources out there. All of them (except the prep books, if you buy them) are free.

English Club

This site contains one TOEFL Integrated Writing practice task and five Independent Writing practice tasks. All six TOEFL Writing topics are similar to the real test, and the Integrated task as well as one of the Independent tasks have sample responses you can compare your answers to. At the bottom of the web page is a checklist of things your essays should include to help give you a guideline of what you should be aiming for when you write.

Magoosh offers one TOEFL Integrated Writing practice task. That’s not a lot of practice, but it is a high-quality question that includes a sample response. Magoosh also offers three complete TOEFLs, so you can use those Writing questions as well.

Good Luck TOEFL

This site has a huge number (several hundred) of Independent Writing tasks, separated into five different categories depending on question type. Some of the questions are more simplistic than you’ll see on the real TOEFL , and there’s no scoring information or sample responses, but there are a good source if you need more TOEFL Writing topics to write about.

Beat the Test

This site contains 155 Independent Writing tasks. Like Good Luck TOEFL, some of these TOEFL Writing topics are easier than you’ll find on the TOEFL, and there are no sample responses included, but they do give you the opportunity to practice writing.

Unofficial Prep Books

Prep books, even unofficial ones, often are a great resource for practice questions. Most books include sample Writing questions, along with scoring explanations , and then contain one or more complete practice TOEFLs at the end of the book. You can learn all about the best TOEFL prep books by reading our guide.

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Other TOEFL Writing Practice Materials

There are other ways to practice besides just answering sample Writing questions. TOEFL Writing is designed to measure how strong your English writing skills are, so, any practice you get writing English will help you with this section, even if you’re not directly answering practice exam questions. There are many ways to get writing practice; several of them are described below.

Duolingo is a popular free language-learning site. Users answer different types of questions, including writing questions. You can’t choose to only answer writing questions, so this isn’t the best resource for targeted writing practice, bu t it’s a good way to strengthen your overall English skills.

For advanced English learners, many of Duolingo’s beginning problem sets will likely be too easy, but you can take a quiz to figure out where in the program you should start.

Free Writing

Finally, you can also practice writing about topics that have nothing to do with the TOEFL. As long as you’re writing in English, you’re getting good practice. Writing about something that interests you can also encourage you to write more. Some ideas for free writing include:

  • Keeping a journal
  • Getting an English-speaking pen pal
  • Starting a blog about a topic that interests you

How to Get the Most Out of Your TOEFL Writing Practice

Now that you’re an expert on the best practice resources for TOEFL Writing, the next step is to put those materials to use in the most effective way in order to see results on test day. Follow these four tips in order to get the most out of your practice.

Practice Writing in English Regularly

The most important thing you can do to practice for the Writing section of the TOEFL is to practice writing English regularly. If you can practice every day, that would be ideal, but at the very least you should aim to practice writing 1,000 words in English a week.

Remember, this writing practice doesn’t only have to consist of answering TOEFL Speaking questions; any free writing, even just jotting down what you did that day in your diary, counts as writing practice.

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Make Use of Official Materials

As mentioned above, official TOEFL resources have the best practice questions out there, so you want to make the most of them.  Spread these questions throughout your TOEFL studying; don’t use them all up at the beginning or save them all for the end. You want to be regularly seeing these questions as you prepare.

Also, when you answer official practice questions, make sure you set enough time aside to devote your full attention to them. Practice them in a quiet room with no distractions, and carefully compare your responses to the sample responses. These aren’t the questions to practice when you have a few minutes to spare and need some quick practice while scrolling through your phone.

Time Yourself When Writing Practice Essays

When you are writing practice essays, you should also time yourself. Give yourself 20 minutes to plan and write each Integrated Writing task and 30 minutes for each Independent Writing task.

Timing yourself when you write will help you be better prepared for test day because you’ll have practice planning and writing essays within a limited time frame. When you first begin writing practice essays, it can be easy to spend too much time preparing and run out of time before you finish writing. Taking timed practice essays will help you avoid this. You should also count how many words each of your essays contain after you’ve finished writing them. Integrated tasks should be 150-225 words and Independent tasks should be at least 300 words.

Review Your Practice Essays

After you write each TOEFL practice essay, you should also review it and think about how well it answered the question. This is easier to do if the practice question comes with sample answers that you can compare your answer to, but you should do this step for all practice essays you write, even if they don’t come with any answer explanation.  You can also assign your essays a score or have a tutor or friend who’s also studying for the TOEFL score your essay.

It’s tempting to take a break from TOEFL studying as soon as you’ve finished your essays, but it’s important to do this step because it will get you thinking about what great essays look like and how yours can be improved. The ETS provides the rubric it uses to grade TOEFL writing tasks which you can use to evaluate your essays.

Conclusion: Getting the Most Out of Your TOEFL Writing Practice

In order to write two awesome essays for the TOEFL Writing section, you’ll likely have to put in some practice. Once you know what to expect from this section and how you’ll be graded, use a variety of official and unofficial practice resources during your studying.

As you’re preparing for the Writing section, you should also practice writing in English regularly, use official resources wisely, time yourself when writing practice essays, and review your essays after you write them.

What’s Next?

Looking for more information on the TOEFL Writing section? Learn all the tips you need to know in order to ace TOEFL Writing!

What score should you be aiming to get on the TOEFL? Learn what a good TOEFL score is based on the schools you’re interested in attending.

Looking for a great TOEFL prep book?  A good prep book can be the most important study tool you use, and we have information on all the best TOEFL prep books you should consider.

Ready to improve your TOEFL score by 15 points?

toefl essay questions pdf

Author: Christine Sarikas

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries. View all posts by Christine Sarikas

The Magoosh logo is the word Magoosh spelled with each letter o replaced with a check mark in a circle.

TOEFL Writing PDF

The Writing section is the last section you’ll face on the TOEFL. By the time you get to the essay portion, you’ll already have spent a couple of hours at the test center, and you’ll have completed the Reading, Listening, and Speaking sections. Understandably, you might be tired and losing your focus. So, how can you make sure you do as well as possible on your TOEFL essays? By being prepared, of course! That’s where this free resource comes in.

TOEFL Writing PDF

In this PDF , you’ll find in-depth information about the Writing section, including:

  • the topics you’ll write about
  • the differences between the 2 essays
  • how to structure your essays (outline included!)
  • how to brainstorm effective examples to support your opinions
  • pacing strategies so you finish in time
  • English grammar tips to help you write at an advanced level
  • the most common writing difficulties

View or download the PDF here!

How to use this pdf.

This PDF can be used just like you would any book (or eBook, to be more accurate). 🙂 You can download it and print it out, or save it to your computer / phone / tablet, or read it online. For the most comprehensive help, try to read the book in order. But, if you’re short on time, you can use the links in the table of contents to skip to individual sections.

Once you’ve read through the entire document, we’d suggest checking out our TOEFL practice PDF to put your new skills to the test. And if you want the most complete guidance, including 500+ practice questions (each with an explanation video) and 150 video lessons, Magoosh TOEFL can help !

Happy studying, everyone!

Rachel Wisuri

Rachel helps eager students find out about Magoosh. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a super helpful double major in History and French. In her free time she can be found eating peanut butter, drinking five cups of tea per day, and playing with cats.

View all posts

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80 TOEFL Writing Topics

The 80 TOEFL writing topics on this web page focus on the most common question types found on the writing section of the TOEFL exam: agree/disagree, multiple choice, preference, and good idea.

“Ready to excel in TOEFL Writing? Dive into our free Online Discussion practice tests. Elevate your skills and conquer the exam. Follow the link for the latest updated July 2023 version of the TOEFL iBT!”

80 TOEFL Writing Topics

Agree/Disagree TOEFL Writing Topics (Most Common)

  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should be given a modest weekly allowance for doing household chores .  Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Video games are great ways to help children learn creativity . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Completing writing projects are more beneficial for students than taking multiple-choice exams . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Consumers should be forced to buy electric-powered vehicles . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Students should be given more options to learn in groups . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should consult with their parents when they are choosing a major in college . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Remote learning using techologies such as Zoom is just as effectice as in-person classroom learning . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People who toss trash out their car windows should be fined at least $500 . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should be encouraged to play sports such as soccer and basketball. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children between the ages of 5 and 18 should not be allowed to listen to sexually explicit songs. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Following China’s policy that originated in the 1970’s, families worldwide should only have one child per couple to prevent overpopulation. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Football involves too much physical contact and should be banned .  Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? English grammar is one of the easiest language systems to learn . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? When looking for a spouse, a person should date several people at the same time. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Middle class and rich citizens should pay at least 30% of their income to federal and state taxes so that governments can use this money to help the poor. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?  Consulting tutors when students are having dfficulty with course content will help them to succeed academically. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All households should be required to conserve by using 30% less water each month. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?  All children should be required to get vacccinations from illnesses such as measles, small pox, coronavirus, and polio. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? A diet with little or no meat is the most healthy . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should have part time jobs while attending high school . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is always good for people to have a hobby outside of work interests . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Not everyone will succeed in life on their first try. However, they should not give up. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Good listeners are much better friends that good conversationalists. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Eating 3-5 smaller meals daily is much better for the digestive system rather than eating 1-2 large meals. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All children and able-bodied adults should exercise 45 minutes daily at least five times per week. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The current accepted work week is 40 hours a week, but it should be reduced to only 30 hours. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Companies that sell junk food and sugary drinks should be prohibited from advertising their products on television. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People who are arrested for selling drugs should not be imprisoned. Instead, they should be rehabilitated. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Employees should change jobs frequently in order to gain more experience . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.
  • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? At Christmas and at birthdays, it is always better to give than it is to receive . Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.

Mutiple-Choice Style TOEFL Writing Topics (Less common)

31. Which of the following employee attributes are most important?

  • Workers should be able to get along well with others.
  • Workers who are honest will make the most contributions.
  • Workers need to always show up on time and should never leave early.

Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.

32. Which of the following are most important  when choosing a house?

  • Close to where you work
  • Near where your children attend school
  • In a safe neighborhood away from the city

33. Which of the following is most important when deciding on a university?

  • An international reputation for research and teaching
  • A reasonably priced institution that will not indebt its study body
  • One which is located near a pristine beach

34. Which of the following is most important for someone suffering from depression?

  • Having an affectionate pet such as a dog or cat
  • Being able to interact with friends and family members regularly
  • Having accurately prescribed medication to treat the mental illness

35. Which of the following is the most important part in maintaining an orderly society?

  • A robust police department which builds relationships of trust with the public
  • Having well-funded educational systems with trained and knowledgeable teachers
  • Creating an environment in which churches have well-attended services

36.  Which of the following is most important in having an environmentally-friendly city?

  • A city with a public transportation system so extensive that private cars are not needed
  • A city which requires all residences to use solar power for at least 80% of their energy needs
  • City whose residences are required to recycle at least 50% of all water used.

37. Which of the following is the most healthy part of a person’s lifestyle?

  • Continuous cardiovascular exercise for 45 minutes daily 5 days a week
  • Eating an adundance of fresh vegetables and fruits
  • Getting 8-9 hours of deep sleep nightly

38. Who would you most likely fire if you were the CEO of a large company?

  • An employee who often arrives late
  • Someone who argues a lot with other co-workers
  • A worker who doesn’t commplete his job tasks competently

39. You just received an inheritance of more than 50 million dollars, and you MUST donate 1/2 of the money to one of the following:

  • An elementary or high school

Which organization would you donate the money to? Why? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Do not use memorized examples.

40. You are going into the wilderness for two weeks. Which three objects would you bring with you?

  • Matches, pocket knife, and a hat
  • Sunglasses, poncho (rainsuit), and 1/2 pound of dried meat
  • A compass, a shovel, and 2 liters of water

41. Which of the following measures would make a city safer?

  • Hiring more police officers and getting them properly trained to serve the public
  • Increasing the number of rehab facilities to help people quit using illegal drugs
  • Improving educational facilties to prevent children from dropping out of school

42. Which of the following forms of social media are most harmful to children?

43. Which of the following is the most beneficial form of exercise for adults?

  • Long-distance running

44. Which politican would you most likely vote for?

  • A candidate who will make it a priority to help the poor
  • One who lowers taxes and deregulates small businesses
  • A politician who promises to serve only one term in government

45. Which of the following animals would win in a fierce fight?

  • A 1000 kg Salt Water Crocodile
  • A 1,500 kg African hippopatamus
  • A 227 kg Siberian Tiger

46. Which of the following jobs appeal to you the most?

  • A doctor who cures infectitious diseases
  • A lawyer who represents the rights of the underpriveleged
  • An engineer who designs bridges and skyscrapers

47. Which of the following will allure more tourists to a city?

  • A mega-entertainment center such as Disneyworld
  • An abundance of trails and paved paths for bikers, runners, and walkers
  • Huge shopping complexes offering discounts on 100’s of items

48. If the death penalty were allowed in your country, which method of execution should be implemented?

  • Lethal injection
  • A firing squad
  • The electric chair

49. Which strategy is most effective when you have a lot of homework assignments?

  • Completing the assignments with other members from the class
  • Setting aside two hour blocks daily to tackle all the assignments alone
  • To prioritize by completing the most difficult assignments to the least difficult ones

50. Which of the following events would cause the most harm to our planet?

  • An eruption from a super volcanoe
  • Impact from an asteriod which is at least 10 km in diameter
  • A full-scale nuclear exchange of weapons involving the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Iran, and North Korea

Preference Style (Less common)

51. Computers are becoming more and more acceptable as tools that educators are using in classrooms. Some believe that this type of technology is useful for student learning. Others, on the other hand, believe that computers are not a required part of student learning. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

52.  Some believe that food is becoming more and more scarce. Therefore, international laws should be passed that limit couples to having only one child. Others, on the other hand, believe that there will always be plenty of food for the world’s population. As a result, no laws are needed to restrict wordwide population growth. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

53. Some believe that all types of plastic should be banned since much of this material ends up polluting our oceans. Others, on the other hand, believe plastic should not be banned since it is an essential material. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

54. Some believe consumers should have vegetarian diets. Others, on the other hand, believe that these people should also eat meat in addition to healthy amounts of fruits and vegetables. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

55. Some believe that success mostly depends on how hard someone works to achieve his goals. Others, on the other hand, believe that luck plays an important role in whether or not someone succeeds in life. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

56. Some believe that it is proper etiquette to kiss someone on a first date. Others, on the other hand, believe that a couple should not kiss the first time that they go out together. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

57. Some believe that licensed doctors should recommed herbal treatments for their patients. Others, on the other hand, believe that doctors should only be allowed to prescribe medication that has been approved by a governmental organization such as the Federal Drug Association. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

58. Some believe children should be given household chores appropriate to their age. For example, a 10-year old child could be given a chore of emptying the garbage on a daily basis. Others, on the other hand, believe children should not be given any chores so long as they spend enough time doing their homework assignments after coming home from school. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

59. Some believe that elementary and high schools should separate the genders. For instance, only boys study at some schools, whereas girls study at other schools. Others, on the other hand, believe the boys and girls should be allowed to study in the same classrooms at the same schools. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

60. Some believe that people should not marry outside of their culture and language. They believe that marriage is already difficult enough, and mixing cultures will only complicate matters further. Others, on the other hand, believe love matters more than a culture or language when it comes marriage. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

61. Some believe electric cars are viable alternatives to fossil-fuel vehicles. Others, on the other hand, believe fossil-fuel cars will always be superior in their quality and durable compared to electric cars. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

62. Some believe that action movies are the best movies to watch after a hard day’s work. Others, on the other hand, believe that they can relax more effectively by watching comedy movies. Which type of movie do you prefer? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

63. Some believe that politicians should only serve one term in office. Limiting how long politicians serve, they believe, will minimize corruption and conflicts of interest. Others, on the other hand, believe that politicians will more effectively serve their districts if they serve more than one term. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

64. Some believe that people should not be allowed to fart in public places since the offensive odor can really annoy others. Others, on the other hand, believe that there is no harm farting in public, even if people fart loudly. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

65. Some believe that goverments should allocate more money for space exploration. According to them, space exploration can lead to new discoveries and cures for infectitious diseases. Others, on the other hand, believe that govermments should reserve more money in their budgets for basic needs on Earth such as poverty, education, and healthcare. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

66. Some believe children should not be allowed to watch television since it has no educational value. Others, on the other hand, believe that television has educational value, so children should be able to watch it. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

67. Some believe human activities have caused irreversible effects of climate change. According to them, unless humans change their behaviors, the Earth could suffer an extinction level event for most animal and plant life. Others, on the other hand, believe that natural factors have had more of an effect on our climate. According to this belief, there is nothing that humans can do to alter this naturally occurring cycle that the Earth is going through. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

68. Some believe that cats make great pets by bringing comfort, compassion, and unconditional love to their owners. Others, on the other hand, believe that dogs make better pets than cats. Which pet do you think brings more satisfaction to their owners? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

69. Some believe that it is better to rent a home rather than buy one. Others, on the other hand, believe that buying a home represents a much better investment. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

70. Some important guests are coming to visit you. To get ready, some believe that the first thing to be cleaned should be the interior and exterior windows. Others, on the other hand, believe the guest bathroom and living room should be the first areas of the home to be cleaned. Which view do you support? Use reasons and examples to support your point of view. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

Good Idea (Less common)

71. Some schools do not allow high school students to bring their smartphones to class. They believe that students will excel academically and socially without relying on these popular gadgets. Do you think that it is a good idea? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

72. Some assert that children should be limited to one hour of electronics daily because the types of gadgets can harm children’s development. Do you think that it is a good idea to restrict how much time children spend on their electronics? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

73. Some say that all citizens of a country should be required to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus.  They believe that making everyone get vaccinated will help society to develop herd immunity, which will effectively end the pandemic. Do you think that everyone should be required to get vacccinated? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

74. Some educators believe that children should read about 45 minutes every day?  They believe that this type of extensive reading will help children to mature academically. Do you think that extensive reading is a good idea for children? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

75. Some believe that outdoor and indoor smoking should be banned everywhere. They believe that the secondhand smoke from cigarettes creates a health hazard. Do you think that it is a good idea to prohibit smoking? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

76. Some believe that countries worldwide should be forced to reduce their fossil fuel consumption by at least 20%. They believe that reducing fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas will counteract the dangerous effects of climate change. Do you think that it is a good idea for countries to limit their fossil-fuel consumption? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

77. Some say workers should have the same political views of the instutions for which they work.  For example, if the instution such as a school district supports the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, then educators under this organization should also support the BLM. If they do not, then they should be fired or forced to resign. Do you think it is a good idea for organizatons to fire employees who have opposing political views? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

78. Some administrators and teachers say children should be punished by being paddled with a wooden board.  They believe that this type of corporal punishment will curb undesirable behaviors. Do you think that it is a good idea to paddle children when they act out? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

79. Some say drugs such as marijuana, herione, and cocaine should be legalized. They believe that legalizing these drugs will significantly reduce crime. Do you think that it is a good idea to legalize drugs? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

80. To reduce fossil fuel consumption, some say governments should prohibit families from purchasing more than one automobile. They believe that if families have only one vehicle they will drive fewer miles, thereby slowing the emission of dangerous greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Do you think that it is a good idea? Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Make sure that you do NOT use memorized examples.

While you practice writing responses to these 80 TOEFL writing topics, consider joining my TOEFL Speaking and Writing Feedback Service . That way you can get estimated TOEFL writing scores every time you complete a practice test.

TOEFL Speaking Boot Camp Course: CLICK HERE

May the next TOEFFL exam you take be your last!

Michael Buckhoff ,  [email protected]

Teaching Experience

TOEFL Speaking and Writing Feedback Service

TOEFL Private Lessons

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100 Reading Questions for the TOEFL® Test (PDF included)

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100 Reading Questions for the TOEFL Test

Use these TOEFL Reading practice materials to start exercising. Increase your score with these dynamic TOEFL questions with answers.

Looking for some TOEFL Reading practice?

Look no further.

Below you will find 100 free to download TOEFL Reading practice questions, organized based on question type.

But first, how many reading questions are on the TOEFL?

Since August 2019, in the TOEFL Reading Section, you can expect 20 questions that you’ll need to answer in 36 minutes .

There are 10 different question types:

  • Vocabulary Questions
  • Rhetorical Purpose Questions
  • Inference Questions
  • Sentence Simplification Questions
  • Insert Text Questions
  • Factual Information Questions
  • Negative Factual Information Questions
  • Reference Questions
  • Fill in a Table Questions
  • Organization Questions

Get some TOEFL Reading Practice free online, right here on our site.

Practice online right now

Cover of the TOEFL Reading Practice PDF

If you prefer a good ole PDF to test and practice your reading skills, here is a TOEFL reading practice PDF available for free download –  100 Practice Questions for the TOEFL  Reading Section

  • Easy and free to download.
  • Open from any device.
  • No Internet connection needed.

Cover of the TOEFL Reading Practice PDF

How do I practice reading for the TOEFL?

  • Step 1 – Practice with short passages
  • Step 2 – Don’t forget to review the structure
  • Step 3 – Practice with a timer
  • Step 4 – Review your answers
  • Step 5 – Improve your vocabulary

What you need to know about the TOEFL Reading

The TOEFL Reading exercises cover a number of academic topics with passage difficulty varying between an 8th grade level, which implies an appropriate text for a 14-year old American junior high school student, and a 14th grade level, which implies an appropriate text for a 20-year-old American college sophomore.

How many reading passages are on the TOEFL?

In the TOEFL iBT Reading section you have 36 minutes to:

  • Read three academic texts, totaling around 2100 words
  • Understand how to answer 10 different types of questions
  • Answer 20 questions in total

And, unfortunately, the TOEFL Reading practice materials available online are either out-of-date or unreliable.

These are just a few of the reasons why we have designed our own TOEFL Reading Practice Questions with answers that you can access for free right here .

Here’s just one example:

  Human Anatomy

Human anatomy is the scientific study of the body’s structures. Some of these structures are very small and can only be observed and analyzed with the assistance of a microscope.Other larger structures can readily be seen, manipulated, measured, and weighed. The word “anatomy” comes from a Greek root that means “to cut apart.” Human anatomy was first studied by observing the exterior of the body and observing the wounds of soldiers and other injuries. Later, physicians were allowed to dissect bodies of the dead to augment their knowledge. When a body is dissected, its structures are cut apart in order to observe their physical attributes and their relationships to one another. Dissection is still used in medical schools, anatomy courses, and in pathology labs.

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 8.5

1. The word augment is closest in meaning to

1. B (vocabulary)

B is correct because increase is closest in meaning to augment. Spread is similar in that it means to make something larger, but spread implies that something grows outward, while augment, in this situation, implies an increase.

But wait…

Do you notice something strange about this TOEFL Reading exercise?

It’s short! Usually, a TOEFL iBT Reading passage is 700 words, but this is just 100 words.

And there’s only one question after the passage (usually there are 10).

This unique approach to practicing the TOEFL Reading section is designed to help you improve your reading skills and speed. But if you want to know how to use these TOEFL Reading practice questions with answers to improve your reading score, here are five easy steps to follow .

The latest update for the TOEFL iBT test came on July 26, 2023. You can expect 20 questions that you will need to answer in 36 minutes. 10 TOEFL Reading questions per passage. You will have 18 minutes to complete each passage. You have 36 minutes to complete the TOEFL Reading section. You will read two academics, totaling around 1400 words.

TOEFL Reading Practice Step 1: Practice with short passages

If you’re like most students, then you want to practice in a way that looks exactly like the test. You want to read a 700-word passage and answer 14 TOEFL reading questions in less than 20 minutes.

Practicing for the test and replicating the conditions will help you prepare for the format of the TOEFL, but it will not help you increase your reading comprehension or English fluency.

Improvement comes when you reflect on your answers and identify why you did something wrong.

Practice alone is not enough to help you improve, you must also reflect .

When you do a single reading passage and answer 14 questions about it, you are reflecting on the entire experience, a 20-minute reading exercise, instead of a single question. When you use these short reading passages, you get more immediate feedback on your responses. This, in turn, will help you quickly identify the question types and TOEFL reading topics you struggle with.

Besides providing you with more specific and immediate feedback, here are a few more benefits of using short passages to practice:

  • More exposure to various topics
  • Study in short intervals of less than five minutes
  • Learn more vocabulary in less time
  • Build your reading skills
  • Master question and answer strategy

Once you dive in and start to answer the questions you will find these short passages to be the exact answer you have been looking for to help you improve your TOEFL Reading skills.

TOEFL Reading Practice Step 2: Don’t forget to review the structure

These short TOEFL Reading samples are just like the TOEFL, only shorter. It’s still important for you, however, to get a clear understanding of exactly what to expect from the TOEFL Reading section on test day.

Here are some of the most important points:

  • Read three academic passages of 700 words
  • Take 18 minutes per passage, 36 minutes in total
  • Answer 10 questions per passage

There is no way to predict what kind of passages you will receive in your TOEFL test, but here are some of the more popular TOEFL reading topics:

Cover of the Complete TOEFL Test #13

Learn exactly what to expect on test day. Download your free complete TOEFL Test

Cover of the Complete TOEFL Test #13

Now, you might be confused by all of the question types in the TOEFL Reading practice  test PDF…

…and you’re not alone!

There are ten reading question types and some have strange names like rhetorical purpose and pronoun referent questions.

But don’t worry.

In the chart below, all of the question types have been laid out and separated based on frequency, common lexical structure, and the time it should take you to answer each.

TOEFL Reading Practice Step 3: Practice with a timer

Picture of a clock

If you have done some TOEFL Reading practice tests already, then you know that time management is an issue for the reading section. Few people can read the entire passage and answer all of the questions in a given passage in less than 18 minutes.

It takes skill to read a question, understand the meaning, identify the key words, and find that information in the passage in less than two minutes. Even if you understand the question and know where to look, it may still be challenging to identify which information is essential to help you answer the question.

When you work through these short passages, you can answer based on question type. Each passage will be followed by a single and predictable question.

But I can’t emphasize this enough…

…be sure to challenge yourself by setting a timer. And keep in mind that some TOEFL questions take longer than others.

For example, in the case of vocabulary questions, give yourself only 60 seconds to answer. However, if you are working on detail questions, set the timer for 90 seconds. (refer to the chart above for each question type’s timing) 

Human Anatomy

Human anatomy is the scientific study of the body’s structures. Some of these structures are very small and can only be observed and analyzed with the assistance of a microscope. Other larger structures can readily be seen, manipulated, measured, and weighed. The word “anatomy” comes from a Greek root that means “to cut apart.” Human anatomy was first studied by observing the exterior of the body and observing the wounds of soldiers and other injuries. Later, physicians were allowed to dissect bodies of the dead to augment their knowledge. When a body is dissected, its structures are cut apart in order to observe their physical attributes and their relationships to one another. Dissection is still used in medical schools, anatomy courses, and in pathology labs.

2. Which of the following is true about human anatomy?  

  • The word “ anatomy ” is derived from a French root that means “ cut ”
  • The observation of soldiers’ wounds were originally used to study human anatomy
  • Human and animal bodies were dissected in labs to understand human anatomy
  • The smaller structures of the human body need to be observed with a telescope

2. B (detail)

B is correct because the other 3 options are all untrue – they each contain at least a word that changes its original meaning. The passage states “ Human anatomy was first studied by observing the exterior of the body and observing the wounds of soldiers…”. While the words “human anatomy ” are mentioned a few times, the answer can be found by searching for other keywords like “ soldiers ’” and “ wounds ”.

This TOEFL reading practice example is challenging, but, over time, you will get used to the time restrictions and it will get easier. You will start to improve the speed and accuracy of your answers, which will improve your performance on complete TOEFL iBT Reading practice passages.

Lean more about the  how to manage your time better for the Reading section of the TOEFL test .

TOEFL Reading Practice Step 4: Review your answers

Think of your favorite professional athlete.

Now imagine the incredible amount of work they endured to become one of the best at their sport.

Of course they practiced, but, more importantly, they watched the game film.

After the game, most professional athletes sit in a room and watch their performance. In American football, players spend dozens of hours every week watching their games because they understand that improvement comes through the study of what went wrong in the past.

Improvement comes through the study of past performance.

Picture of a girl reading off her laptop

Your TOEFL test is a performance of your English ability. Use the information you get from practicing your reading comprehension skills to understand your personal strengths and weaknesses. After you know what your problem is – for example, you have trouble answering inference questions – map out a course of action that will help you improve.

Most students only practice. Sure, everyone checks their answers, but only for a score, not to gain a deeper understanding of why they were wrong and how they can improve in the future.

Here are some questions to ask yourself after you have answered a question wrong:

  • Did I misread the passage or the question?
  • Was there difficult vocabulary that I didn’t understand? Is this word part of the Academic Word List ?
  • Is there a particular question type I struggle to answer? What’s the answer and how do I fix it?
  • What can I do to ensure I don’t make the same mistake again?

In the ELT world (English Language Teaching), this is referred to as reflective practice . It’s popular in many other fields, like medicine and management, but it has also become an important component of improving teacher performance.

Failing to review your answers is just one of many mistakes students make when preparing for the reading section of the TOEFL. You can check out the five most common TOEFL Reading mistakes and how to avoid them below.

TOEFL Reading Practice Step 5: Improve your vocabulary

Now at this point you:

1. Understand why these short reading passages are so helpful 2. Reviewed the overall structure of the TOEFL Reading section 3. Know how important it is to set a timer and develop your time management skills 4. Are ready to not only practice the questions, but review the answers

It’s now time to work on the most critical component of your TOEFL Reading score: your vocabulary .

How can I improve my reading comprehension for the TOEFL?

Simply put, if you don’t understand the words, you can’t understand the passage.

If you are not getting the score you want in the reading section, then you must invest the necessary time and energy into studying vocabulary. Now, there are thousands of words in the English language, so it’s hard to know which are important.

There are a lot of vocabulary lists, but this is the only one you need for the TOEFL Reading, download The Ultimate Vocabulary List for the TOEFL – free PDF

Originally developed in 2001 by Averil Coxhead, a distinguished linguist and researcher, she found that there were certain words that consistently show up throughout academic texts, regardless of the topic.

Unlike other TOEFL vocabulary lists, this one has been academically researched and verified by working professionals in the English Language Teaching Community.

If you know these 570 words, it will have a dramatic impact on your TOEFL Reading score.

Read more about our ultimate vocabulary list for the TOEFL test .

Cover of the TOEFL Reading Practice PDF

So, how can you improve your reading skills for the TOEFL?

  • Practice with short passages
  • Review the structure
  • Use a timer
  • Review your answers
  • Improve your vocabulary

Enough talking…

You’re here to practice! These 100 questions are an excerpt from our Practice Pack for the TOEFL Reading : 500 Questions and Answers.

Nearly unlimited TOEFL practice specifically designed to build your skills.

But if you are just ready to sink your teeth into some free online reading practice: Here are the first 100 Reading Practice Questions (free download) .

Did we miss anything? Any more advice you would like to add about the TOEFL Reading?

Let us know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Other articles

Time Management for the Reading Section of the TOEFL Test

The Ultimate Vocabulary List for the TOEFL Test

Ten Awesome Tips for the TOEFL Reading

Your Guide to Answering TOEFL Reading Summary Questions

Check other articles on TOEFL

94 Comments

pelin

Hi, Josh. I have a question. On the actual TOEFL test in the reading section, will we be able to see the passage all the time? Or we read it once, the passage disappears and the questions appear?

Josh

Excellent question! The reading for each passage will be available for all 10 questions of that topic and will disappear when you move to the next passage (next 10 questions).

Atiwullah

Hey Josh, Greetings from Afghanistan!

I wonder If you could share some speaking and writing templates with me. It’ll be your kindest help, and I’d really appreciate that.

Thanks in Advance Atiwullah

Greetings to you too! 🙂 Templates can vary quite a bit and in general, we suggest using your own template that has words you feel comfortable with. I am linking some articles with tips about the speaking and writing sections. I think they will be useful in helping you develop templates that are the perfect fit for you.

https://tstprep.com/articles/toefl/ten-awesome-tips-for-the-speaking-section-of-the-toefl/ https://tstprep.com/articles/toefl/questions-topics-and-sample-answers-for-the-speaking-section-of-the-toefl-test/ https://tstprep.com/articles/toefl/sample-essays-for-the-writing-section-of-the-toefl-test/

Lisa

Hi Josh, I was wondering if the answer for the text “Prosopagnosia” page 62 in the 100 TOEFL reading practice was right? Thanks a lot.

Hi Lisa, Thank you for your question. We provide multiple reading practices. I am not sure which one you are referring to. Would you mind replying to this message by pasting in the full text of the question and the answer choices so I can help you?

Wahida

Hello Josh, thank you so much for your support. That is awfully helpful advice, but I have a question. It’s my first time teaching TOEFL classes. I learned about the test structure and what the student needs to understand, but I would like to ask what to do in my first class. Shall I teach them Vocabulary, Grammar? or what exactly? Thanks a lot

Hi Wahida, I’m sorry it took me so long to respond to your inquiry. It’s hard for me to give set advice since a lot depends on the age of the students, the size of the class, and their current English level. I believe the speaking section is a good place to start since it is a bit simpler to explain than the other sections. I am going to provide a link to an out-of-print TOEFL teaching activities book from Peasron-Longman Publishers ( https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwyrGFd4jdd_UkZLaXY4N3B5c2s/view?resourcekey=0-Zk0Az2ELegKMHgOwz3LTLA ). I used many of the activities when I was teaching, and I believe you will find a few helpful pieces of information in it. I hope it inspires you.

Good luck with the class!

hedieh

Dear Josh, This is Hedieh. Thank you for all the great tips and information. I will take the exam in late August. I wanted to ask about the time management for the new exam. I don’t think the 18 min per 10 questions would be fitting into the new reading exam time, and all I practiced so far is adaptable to the current exam system. I always have time management problems regarding dyslexia. I need more time to comprehend the texts I read or the words I choose to speak. Of course, this has never been an obstacle to stop me, however, it causes the anxiety that I will not finish in time. The same happens whenever I practice speaking, I get too excited to order my words without many fillers. I am concerned about this problem, that it would affect the results of my exam. I hope that I could hear about your recommendations in this matter. Thank you in advance

Hi Hedieh, Thank you for your question. ETS offers accommodations for students dealing with dyslexia. It takes time to arrange and it usually involves getting medical records from your doctor but it can be done! The first step is for you to contact ETS and find out what documentation they require. Hope this helps!

meihui

Very useful material

Parvina

Hello Josh Thank you so much for giving so many tips for getting high scores in every section. Here, I’ve been teaching in a private school for three years and really want to take a test; however, inside, my anxiety is saying that I can’t. I really don’t know what to do. I’ve started many times to learn essential words for taking it, but after a week, I’m overwhelmed. Could you please advise me on which part I should start? Thanks in advance Parvina

Hi Parvina,

I completely understand. The test can be very stressful. Where you should start depends on which areas are the most difficult for you. It is different for everyone. Perhaps consider coming in for a 30-minute evaluation so a teacher can help you make a more detailed plan.

Bhargav

Hello Josh, I appeared for my TOEFL exam a few days back, and I scored pretty great marks in almost all sections except reading where I only got 14/30. I have to reappear for the exam again in 20 days. The problem I was facing while going through the section was that I was unable to find proper answers as the font and word spacing were pretty unnatural and very uncomfortable to the eyes. Can you tell me some source in which I can practice with the same font style?

Before my test, I was also doing great in all sections, including reading. Kindly help me out.

Hi there and thank you for your question. Interesting problem. Well, I am going to link out to a free practice test from ETS, which might be a similar font. If that doesn’t work, you might want to copy and paste some text into Google Docs and Microsoft word, play around with the text, and try to make it the size and font you saw on test day. https://www.ets.org/s/toefl/free-practice/start.html

Pratyush

Hi Josh, I am struggling with my reading score. I scored 22 in my past TOEFL exam. I have an admission from UMD college park, and they have enrolled me in the English bridge program because they need a minimum of 26 in reading. I have practiced a lot for reading, and in practice, I was able to score 25 to 26, but I don’t know what happens whenever I actually take the TOEFL exam at the test center. I have to submit a new TOEFL score before the 6th of July, so would be giving an exam on the 25th of June. Really need help with this. Thanks & regards Pratyush

Hi there, and sorry for my slow response, it looks like you might get this response too late, but I made a video here ( https://youtu.be/osGQ6axyI7I ) about how to practice and improve your score at home. This is the process I usually recommend for students in your situation. Sorry again, and hope everything works out!

Basit saem

Hey Josh! Hope you are doing well

I’ve got a question if you don’t mind answering.

I have approximately 120 days to prepare for the actual test (2024/4/6). Well, my question is, how can I improve my reading skills along with my comprehension skills in this span of time? I’d be thankful if you answer my question 🙏

My goal: 100-110

Hi Bassit and thanks for your question. The best way to improve is to practice. The best way to do that is to take some practice tests and see which question types are more difficult for you. Then research different strategies by question type. Also, consider taking our group reading classes, as we think they are very helpful.

Junot

Hello Josh, I am very grateful for your helpful videos and PDFs. I have found them very helpful already though I have just familiarized myself with them for a few days. I have 2 months to prepare for my TOEFL Test and I have been preparing for a week now. I have also found myself already overwhelmed by the reading section. I found this section very tough. I also try hard every day to master the tips from your materials.

So, my question is: do you think that practicing every day within 2 months will help me to get 20 points for all sections? Your responses in this matter are valuable.

Thank you for your kind and amazing help.

Hi there Junot, good question, and unfortunately, it is hard for me to answer since I don’t know your current level. I would take a practice test on our site or on Youtube and see what your score is there. In general, I believe students can improve their score with two months of intense TOEFL practice between 5-18 points overall, with most around the 10-point mark. If you are far below your desired score in a given section (5 points or more) then you need both TOEFL practice and to improve your overall English comprehension, which takes more time. I hope that answers your question.

salma

I am struggling with my speaking (first question), my target is +26, and I am having issues with taking and having an example.

Hi there Salma. It’s hard for me to answer since every student is different, but here is a link to a document called “coming up with reasons and examples”, which might help you find ways to expand your answer to question #1. I hope it helps. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NpEhd9BLNVKOuOO08LpJ6lA2NSLOZgJO/view?usp=sharing

Krishaben Shah

I am very poor in Reading; please help me get 22 in Reading.

If you have watched some of my free videos and tried the practice questions already, you might want to talk with a teacher to ask for some guidance. You can take a trial lesson here – https://tstprep.com/store/toefl-trial-lesson/

Bakyt

Good evening Josh. I have questions to ask you. My TOEFL Test is scheduled for December 2021. Last spring I used to take the genuine TOEFL Test that was more challenging than the trial test. The most difficult sections in TOEFL Test were Reading and Listening. I was incapable of completing these questions since I ran out of time. What is the best way to work on these sections? Could you provide me with some useful tips on improving my reading and listening skills and how to manage my time while taking the test? I’ll await your reply!!!!

Hi there and thank you for your question. Well, I have a few videos on the Youtube channel about this very question, I’ll put a link below and then you can look through the channel for similar videos. If those don’t help, then you might want to consider working with one of our TOEFL teachers here – https://tstprep.com/store/toefl-trial-lesson/

https://youtu.be/dBIix5rR4Nc

Mehmet

Josh, you are an amazing guy, these are helping a lot!

Thank you. I’m so happy you found them helpful!

Mobin

Dear Josh I would like to express my gratitude for your hard work and generosity. What you do means a lot to less fortunate teachers living in economically weak countries. I am going to use your sample exercises in my classes and I hope it is fine with you. The least I can do is to encourage students and teachers to visit your useful website to promote your visibility. What you are doing is high-quality work and is even difficult for native speakers, and the fact that you share them freely shows how great you are. Cheers

Wow, Mobin thank you for your kind and generous comment. I’m happy to hear you have found these materials useful. If you ever need additional resources for your students, just let me know. You can email me directly at [email protected] – I’m always happy to help a fellow teacher.

waleed

Hello, I wonder if I can get the pdf form of your lecture notes and the pdf form of practice questions.?

Hi Waleed. In our courses, we do include links to the Google Slides that are in the lectures, but the rest of the materials are just on our interactive platform. Sorry about that.

Laura

Thanks a lot!! I was studying with the emergency course, some of your videos on youtube and this free material. And i improved my score in the reading by 7 points!! from 18 to 25. And got 103! So glad and greatful for this courses and videos.!

That’s great, Laura and congratulations!

Zahabiya

Hi, I have been referring to your videos and tips for toefl preparation. In reading section I am struggling with the summary\organization questions. Do you have any tips on how to approach those questions? I take TOefl in 5 days.

Thank You for all the awesome videos and tips.

Hi Zahabiya and good question. I often get asked about summary questions. We actually have an article about TOEFL Reading Summary questions which pretty much includes all of the tips I have for that question. You might find it helpful. https://tstprep.com/how-to-answer-toefl-summary-questions-a-step-by-step-guide/

Sakshi

Hi, I’m struggling with my reading score. First I got 14, then I got 18. I really want to get a score above 28 in reading. Can you please, give me tips? And I have only a few days to prepare.

Hi Sakshi and thank you for your question. Just to let you know, it is not possible to improve a score by 10 points in just a few days. It will take some time. However, you are on the right path, continue to practice with TOEFL materials and read a lot of interesting and enjoyable material in your free time. Good luck on your test and if you are still struggling, you might want to talk with a teacher during a trial lesson at this link – https://tstprep.com/toefl-store/toefl-trial-lesson/

Morsal Hamidi

I am struggling so much with reading section, although I am using a lot of good strategies, but still my score is about 19 to 20, and my target is 28+, so I do not know what should I do.

Hi Morsal and sorry to hear about your struggle. We have private teachers and even TOEFL Reading group lessons starting in a few weeks. However, if you don’t want to work with a teacher, then I suggest reading A LOT. Go to the site LingQ, they have a lot of practice materials for language learners and tools to help you remember vocabulary and build your skills.

I hope that helps!

Abdul

Hi, thanks a lot Josh, amazing videos on the youtube channel, anyway I have two questions I hope ill get resolved,

1)Can I use abbreviations in my writing? etc: didn’t , I’ll… 2)When responding to a speaking answer, If I finish my response early, can I quickly summarize my points, or will that just make my response sound redundant and weak?

Thank you again!

TBH, it’s kinda hard to believe nice people like you still exists on the internet…

Hi there and great questions. First of all, yes you can use contractions like “don’t” or “isn’t” but avoid text language like “LOL” and “BRB”. In response to your second question, you do not want to have much silence, so if you have some extra time it’s better to sound redundant than to remain silent. I hope that helps!

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TOEFL® Resources by Michael Goodine

Master the new toefl writing section in 2024.

The writing section is the final part of the TOEFL ® test.  You’ll have about 30 minutes to answer two writing questions. They are known as the TOEFL Integrated essay , and the TOEFL Writing for an Academic Discussion Task.   You’ll be graded based on your content, organization, grammar and language use. Below are links to my best stuff, or read on for descriptions of each task.

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The TOEFL ® Integrated Essay

The first writing question is the Integrated Essay Task.  For this task, you’ll first read a short article on an academic topic.  Next, you will listen to a short lecture on the same topic. Finally, you’ll have 20 minutes to write an essay that includes details from both sources.  You should write about 280 to 300 words in total.

The Reading

The article will be about 300 words long. It can be about any academic topic that might appear in a first-year university course, but topics related to history and zoology seem to be most common. You’ll be given three minutes to read it and then it will disappear (don’t worry, you’ll be able to see it again when you write the essay). Remember that the article will always have a main argument and three supporting points.  This is almost a guarantee, as the TOEFL rarely changes.

The Listening

Next, you will listen to a lecture on the same topic.  It will be about two or three minutes long.  You can only listen once, so try to take detailed notes.  Remember that the lecture will always challenge the article.  This means, for instance, that if the article claims that the pyramids were built in Egypt to store grain, the lecture will explain that they were not built to store grain.  If the article mentions three problems with using bacteria to clean up oil spills, the lecturer will mention three solutions to these problems. This adversarial relationship is another guarantee!

Writing Your Essay

Finally, you will be given twenty minutes to write an essay that compares the reading and the lecture.  The question will look something like this: 

“ Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they oppose specific points made in the reading passage. ” 

You can see the article as you write, but you cannot hear the lecture again (or look at a transcript). I recommend that you write between 280 and 300 words in total.  Ignore the “suggested length” mentioned in the instructions for this section.

Master Guide

For more help with this task, check out my master guide to the integrated writing task .  It’s got a complete sample question, a sample essay, and a template you can use.

The TOEFL ® Writing for an Academic Discussion Task

The second writing question is the Writing for an Academic Discussion Task.

Right away, you’ll see four things on your test screen – instructions for the task, a question written by a university professor about a specific subject, and two student responses to the question.  

The question could be about any subject a student might study at university (sociology, business, political science, education) but subjects in the liberal arts seem most common.  The questions don’t require any background knowledge, however, and can be answered by any test-taker.

You will have ten minutes to read the instructions, read the question, read the responses and write your own response to the question.  There is just one clock for all of this!

A word counter will be displayed as you write. You should write at least 100 words.  I recommend writing a bit more than that. 

For more help with this task, check out my master guide .  It contains sample questions, sample responses and a detailed essay template.

How are you Graded?

Your grades come from two separate systems: 

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In the end, you will have two human scores (one for each essay) and two e-rater scores (one for each essay).  These will be combined and converted into a whole number from 0 to 30, which will be included on your score report.  Each essay has equal weight.

Get Help – TOEFL Essay Evaluation

  • Sign up today to have your practice essays evaluated by a TOEFL writing expert (that’s me).  I’ll check your essays line by line and comment on your grammar, development, argument and vocabulary. I’ll even give them a score.  More importantly, I’ll tell you what you need to do better next time.  Check it out .

Sign Up for an Essay Evaluation Today!

To learn how to beat the toefl, sign up for our essay evaluation service.  in 48 hours, a toefl expert will check your essays line-by-line and tell you how you can do better next time..

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